BelAZ to deliver record number of dump trucks to Russia in 2022 - Belarusian ambassador

MINSK. Sept 26 (Interfax) - Belarus in 2022 will deliver a record number of BelAZ dump trucks to Russia, Dmitry Krutoi, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia, said on Sunday in Moscow at the opening of an exposition at VDNKh center, where a 90-tonne BelAZ dump truck is on display.

"BelAZ will sell about 900 vehicles this year, and this is one of the historical records in our relations with the Russian Federation," the ambassador was quoted as saying by the BelTA state news agency.

"For certain models of the BelAZ line this year, the company simply cannot even fulfill the orders and is forced to postpone them for upcoming years. This is a pleasant hassle, and the amount of work is huge," Krutoi added.

Krutoi said that more than 11,000 Belarusian heavy dump trucks are currently working in coal, diamond, and other quarries in Russia.

"BelAZ's strategy currently is to replace partially those components that are subject to sanctions. There are not very many of them, because for the last 10 years, the plant has been very actively engaged in an internal import substitution program, investing $1.5 billion in a variety of areas, so this is now a non-critical problem. However, in order for BelAZ to compete successfully on the Russian market with the non-departed Western European and American companies, as well as with Chinese companies, it is forced to divert serious resources into the construction of service centers. This is currently the number one task [for the enterprise] in Russia, from Kuzbass to other quarries, and the plant succeeds in this," the ambassador emphasized.